Toy elevator



July 8, 1930. E. A. STILLMAN TOY ELEVATOR Filed June 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTOR NEY v 'I/IIIIII INVENTOR ATTORNEY July 8, 1930. E. A. STILLMAN TOY ELEVATOR Filed June 5, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 8, 1930 UNETE ELDYN A. STILLMAN, OF WELLSVILLE, NEW YORK TOY ELEVATOR Application filed June 5, 1929. Serial No. 368,569.

My present invention relates to mechanical toys, and particularly to automatic toys of the gravity operated type; The primary object of my invention is to provide a toy in which blocks or similar devices are caused to gravitate through a chute into an elevator shaft or casing and to be intermittently delivered onto and lowered by the elevatorin the casing and delivered from the elevator through an opening in thelower portion of,

cube through the lower opening in the said.

elevator casing.

To the attainment of these and manyother objects which will present themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood, the improvement also resides in certain other novel features of construction, combination and operative association of parts, one satisfactory embodiment of which is disclosed by the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved toy, the outer element of the chute being shown in its lowered position by dotted lines.

Figure 2 is an approximately central vertical longitudinal sectional view through the improvement, the dotted lines illustrating a 40, manner in which the block or cube is forced onto the elevator and likewise the manner in which the platform of the elevator is caused to assume an inclination to deliver the block or cube through the lower opening in the elevator casing.

Figure 3 is a sectional view approximately on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view approximately on the line 44c of Figure 1. r

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the elevator.

Figure 6 is a similarview of the combined stop, starting and block kicking member.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a vertically disposed substantially rectangular casing that has an open top which is normally closed by a hinged door 2. The door is latched in its closed position.

The casing 1 rests on a base 3 and secured to and arising from the outer end of thebase there is an upright 4. Suitable brace members 5are provided between the edges of the upright 4 and the sides of the casingvl. The upright supports on its top the inner section 6 of an inclined flanged chute. The chute communicates with an opening 7 in the c'asing 1. The bottom of the chute, at the portion thereof that is received through the lower part of the opening 7 is formed with an upstanding transversely arranged ledge 8 and outward of the ledge the base of the chute is formed with a somewhat elongated slot 9.

There is hinged, as at 10, to the top of the upright the outer or extension member 11 r for the chute 6. When the section 11 is brought into alinement with the fixed chute section 6, these parts are latched together, as indicated in the drawings by the numeral 12 The chute is, of course, arranged at a clownward inclination, the said inclination being sufficient to cause blocks or cubes 13 which are arranged on the chute to gravitate therethrough and to pass through the opening 7 into the casing 1. o

The casing 1 is provided on the face thereof having the opening 7 with a lower opening 14, and there is arranged between the base 3 and the lower and inclined wall proranged plate. 15.

.cord 18.

thereto a weight 19 and the weight is dethe path-of coi'itactwith the elevator. The

signed to move in a compartment 20 provided by arranging a vertical partition 21 in the casing 1, adjacent to what I will term the rear thereof. Thesecond end of. theelement 18 is connected to the eye portion 220 f a substantially U-shap ed bail 23 whose parallel 1 arms have their ends secured to a plate 24 that provides the elevator. This plate is formed with a central longitudinally extend ing slot 25, the purpose of whichwillpresently be apparent and the plate 24 has hingedly secured to one ofits ends, as indicated by the numeral 26, a second plate in the nature of a platform 27 There is hingedlysec'ured, as at 28, to the bottom of the fixed'chute section 6 one end of a spring wire member 29. The wire member is" looped upon itself to provide the same with a finger ring 30 and from thence is extended to provide an arm 82;which is received through the opening 7 and whose end is in arm 32 is bent and formed with a return portion 33 whoseend' is bent to form; the same with a finger 34: that is received throughthe opening 9 in the chute'section 6.

"Inthe-casing, forward of the partition 21 and fixed' to the base 8' there is an upstandi'n'g member which'may be in the nature of a block or rod and; which is indicatedby the numeral 34 The member 84 is in a position to be received through the slot 25fof the plate '24 in the bottom ofthe elevator and to Contact with the hinged plate 27 to cause the said plate 27 to assume the angular position disclosed by the dottedlines in Figure 2 of the drawings when the elevator is lowered. This'it will be noted arranges the plate 27 at thesame inclination as the member 15.

-Any desired number of blocks or cubes 13 are arranged in the chute, andthe block nearest the elevator casing will be contacted by the finger84-and, therefore, held from gravitation in'to'the casingl; are so arranged the operator exerts apressureupon the finger ring 30 to bring the com bined stop and block kicker'member 29 to the dotted lineposition as disclosed'in Figure 2 of thedrawings. This, of course, lowers the elevator. It should be stated that the weight 19 is suflicient to move the elevator to, its raised position. It should be further stated that the distance betweenthe ledge 8 and the kicker finger of the spring wire 29 is less than the width of the blocks or cubes. Thus when the member 27 is depressed or sprung When the blocks,

downwardly as above described the end block will be arranged against the ledge 8 and the 32 of the spring member 29 to cause the same to be again. depressed so that the remammg blocks on the chute will gravitate to bring one of the blocks again against the ledge 8. When the elevator reaches its full descent the upright member3 l will pass through the slot 25 and will contact with the under face of the hinged member 27, causing the same to assume the angular position disclosed by Fig ure 2 of the drawings and thereby deliver the block onto the inclined plane 15 and from thence onto the base. The elevator being relieved of the weight of the block will again ascend and will again exert a pressure upon the end ofthe arm 32to cause the finger thereof to be projected through the opening 9 and kick and turn the block thereunder to or runway may be swung downwardly against the upright 4 when the toy is not required for use so that the said toy can be stored in a comparatively small space or. can be readilypacked and shipped.

The construction andfoperation of my improvement will, it is thought, be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art to which such invention relates so that further detailed description will not be required. It

is, however, believed necessary to state that 11 I do not wishto be restricted to the precise.

details herein set forth and, therefore hold myself entitled to make such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim;

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A mechanical toy including an elevator weight influenced to raisedposition, a hinged plate ,onthe bottom of the elevator, an inclined chute designed to receive blocks therein which gravitate therethrough onto the elevator, a hinged spring rod having an eye portion and an arm extension in the path of contact with the elev'ator,a finger'on the rod, said finger being movable through the?" chute and engageable with the blocks for normally halting the gravitation of the blocks through the chute, and for likewise kicking or exerting a tumbling movement to the blocks arranged thereover to project the tween the fixed and swingable chute sections,

said casing having an opening receiving one end of the fixed chute therein and the said end of the chute having at its bottom a transverse ledge, a weight influenced elevator in the casing normally sustained in elevated position, a rod having one end hingedly secured to the outer face of the fixed chute section, said rod being rounded upon itself to provide' a finger ring and having the portion thereof extending from the finger projecting into the casing to arrange the sec- 0nd end of the rod in the path of contact with the elevator, a finger on said rod movable into the chute when the rod is swung in the direction of the chute, said chute designed to have arranged for gravitation thereon a plurality of blocks which are normally halted in their downward movement by contact with the finger, the distance between the finger and ledge being less than the width of the blocks, whereby the finger will underlie the block contacted by the ledge when the swingable member is depressed and by virtue of such depression to partly lower the elevator which, upon its return position will contact with the arm to cause the finger to engage with the block to impart a tumbling motion thereto and deliver the block into the casing and onto the elevator, the weight of the block overbalancing the influencing weight of the elevator and causing the latter to descend and said casing having an outlet opening adjacent to the bottom thereof for the passage of a block over the elevator.

3. A toy comprising a casing mounted on a base, an upright arising from one end of the base, a fixed inclined chute section supported on the casing, a hinged chute section on the upright swingable to alinement with the fixed chute section, latching means between the fixed and swingable chute sections, saidcasing having an opening receiving one end of the fixed chute therein and the said end of the chute having at its bottom a transverse ledge, a weight influenced elevator in the casing normally sustained in elevated position, a rod hingedly secured to the outer face of the fixed chute section rounded upon itself to provide a finger ring and formed with an arm extension which is arranged below the chute and projects into the casing and is in the path of contact with the elevator, an arm on said rod movable through the chute, a finger on said rod movable into the chute, said chute designed to have arranged for gravitation there on a plurality of blocks, which are normally halted in their downward movement bycontact with'the finger, the distance between the finger and ledge being less than the width of the blocks, whereby the finger will underlie the block contacted by the ledge when the swingable member is depressed,and by virtue of such depression to partly lower the elevator which, upon its return position will contact with the arm to cause the finger to engage with the block to impart a tumbling motion thereto and deliver the block into the casing and onto the elevator, the weight of the block overbalancing the influencing 4 weight of the elevator and causing the latter,

adjacent to the bottom thereof and an iii-- clined plane in a line with the bottom thereof, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a toy of the class described, a casing having one of its faces provided'with top and bottom openings, an inclined plane communicating with the bottom of the lower opening an oppositely inclined chute communicating with the upper opening, and said chute having its end received through said opening provided with a transverse ledge, a sheave wheel journaled in and arranged adjacent to the top of the casing, a cable trained thereover having a weight on one end thereof, an elevator on the second end, a partition in the casing dividing the same into compartments for the weight and for the elevator, a member hingedly secured to the under face of the chute having a finger ring and an arm extension which projects through the upper opening in the casing, and is in the eluding a base which is slotted and a hinged platform which is arranged over the base, the distance between the ledge and the finger being less than the width of the blocks, whereby when the finger hold of the hinged member is depressed the finger will be disposed below one of the blocks and when the arm of the said member is contacted by the elevator, the said finger will be moved into the chute to impart a kicking motion to the block engaged thereby to cause the same to travel through the upper opening and onto the elevator, and to permit of the next block when the finger is depressed to contact with .the 1edge,-;anupstanding element in the bottom of the compartment for the elevator of aheight greater than the lower Wall of the lower-opening designed when the elevator descends by the weight of a/block thereon to be received through an opening in thebottom of the {elevator and to contact with the hinged,

member thereon to swing the same to an angle coincident tothat cf the inclined plane.

In testimonygwhereof I afiix my signature.

ELDYN STILLMAN. 

